Political leaders in several states are threatening to thwart the implementation of voter-approved initiatives specific to the regulation of marijuana. In Massachusetts, where voters decided 54 percent to 46 percent on election day to legalize the cultivation, use, and retail sale of cannabis by adults, politicians have suggested amending the law and delaying its implementation. Specifically, lawmakers have called for pushing back the date when adults may legally begin growing cannabis from December 15, 2016 to an unspecified point in time. Legislators have also called for delaying retail sales of cannabis until late 2018, and have proposed increasing marijuana-specific sales taxes.

In Maine, where voters narrowly approved a similar ballot measure, Republican Gov. Paul LePage has said that he will seek federal guidance before moving forward with the law's implementation. Governor LePage, who adamantly opposed the measure, said that he "will be talking to Donald Trump" about how the incoming administration intends to address the issue, and pronounced that he "will not put this (law) into play" unless the federal government signs off on it.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson made similar statements following voters' decision to legalize the medical use of cannabis. "I don't like the idea of implementing laws in Arkansas that violate federal law," the Republican Governor and former head of the US Drug Enforcement Administration said. "This does not call for a state-by-state solution, it calls for ... a national solution."

During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump voiced support for the authority of individual states to impose regulatory policies specific to the use and dispensing of medical cannabis, but was less clear with regard to whether he believed that state lawmakers ought to be able to regulate the adult use of cannabis absent federal interference. His nominee for Attorney General, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, strongly opposes any liberalization in cannabis policy, stating in April, "[M]arijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized."

"If you have a medical marijuana card, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says that you can't buy a gun.

The court ruled 3-0 on Wednesday that a ban preventing medical marijuana card holders from purchasing firearms is not in violation of the Second Amendment, the Associated Press reports. There are nine western states under the appeals court's jurisdiction, including Nevada, where the case originated.

A lawsuit was filed in 2011 by Nevada resident S. Rowan Wilson after she tried to purchase a gun for self-defense and was denied based on a federal ban on the sale of guns to users of illegal drugs. Though marijuana has been legalized in some places on a state-by-state basis, it remains illegal under federal law. The court maintained that drug use "raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated."

Question 11.e: Added a warning statement regarding marijuana that has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where the transferee/buyer resides.

e. Are you an unlawful use of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance? Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside."

Oddly, pot is listed as a Schedule I substance (most potential for abuse, along with heroin, meth, etc. -- www.dea.gov ) I'm pretty sure caffeine is not controlled, and while alcohol is regulated, I'm not seeing it on any "controlled substance" list.